SSTI Digest

The Federal Railroad Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation is soliciting proposal concept papers for research projects, technology advancements and/or demonstrations directed at enhancing the deployment of high-speed rail service. Technologies which are high-priority research candidates for evaluation include: 1) grade crossing hazard mitigation systems, 2) innovative, low cost technologies to improve track and structures, 3) advance train control systems, 4) and non-electric locomotives and passenger equipments systems. Any individual or organization may submit a proposal concept paper. A total of $4.3 million in project funding is anticipated in FY 2000; additional funding may be available in FY 2001. Awards are expected to range from $25,000 to $500,000. The solicitation can be found by going to: www.eps.gov , selecting “EPS for Vendors,” selecting “DOT Offices” and clicking on “Federal Railroad Administration Posted Dates.” Return to the top of this page

Our Digest archives are back on-line! The Calendar of Events and S&T Resources have also been updated. We apologize for the problems many of you encountered trying to use the site during the past two weeks.

The Angel Capital Electronic Network (ACE-Net) will be privatized by September 1, 2000. The Internet-based listing service for growing companies and angel investors has been run by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy. A privatization team representing ACE-Net regional partner organizations finalized plans in May for making the transition from the SBA. Job descriptions of future staff positions are being drafted. The privatized ACE-Net is expected to provide additional services to registered angel investors, such as educational tools, research, and training. When launched in September 1995, ACE-Net was to be early entry into web-based investor-business matching for capital. Unfortunately, the effort was hampered by federal bureaucracy and regulations, according to ACE-Net supporters. One of ACE-Net’s accomplishments has been to help streamline investment offerings across state lines, greatly reducing the regulatory burden of securities filing. To date, 40 states have amended their securities laws to allow streamlined, web-based equity…

Increasing globalization of research and development (R&D) and the prolific growth of information technology (IT) are major elements in a "science and engineering enterprise that is in transition," the National Science Board (NSB) reports in Science and Engineering Indicators 2000. The new S&E Indicators report emphasizes a changing context for the National Science Foundation, and for science and engineering, generally. According to Science Board chair Eamon Kelly, there has been rapid worldwide growth and emphasis in science and technology, heightened by broad collaboration among nations. Recognizing the trend, the NSB devoted portions of each of the nine chapters in the new S&E Indicators to international comparisons and global patterns in science, engineering, education and technology. The report describes growing evidence of how fundamental science has contributed to a stronger U.S. economy, and how IT has had a major impact on all facets of society. It also says that the impact is unequal within many segments of the national economy and in education, leaving…

A call for action for states from the Northwest region was the result of Linking Regional Resources, a conference of approximately 150 business, government, national laboratory, and university representatives held in Seattle. The roles for the states and federal labs were identified after two days of updates and brainstorming on the status of five Northwest market sectors: information technology, biotechnology, extractive industries, agriculture and food processing, and forest products. Participants discussed challenges and strategies for technological success. The group agreed that there is a need for states “to play a role in coordinating and integrating technology commercialization and development” within the region. According to the conference proceedings, participants identified the three concepts with potential for the greatest impact: Create a Northwest S&T Council to “integrate or coordinate the science and technology activities in the Northwest, including state-specific positions and advisory groups as well as science and technology…

How does E-commerce and the Internet affect copyrights for businesses, universities, organizations, and individuals in your state? The United States Copyright Office and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration invite public comments on the issue before August 4, 2000. Comments are sought specifically for the effects of the amendments made by Title 1 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, (``DMCA'') and the development of electronic commerce on the operation of Sections 109 and 117 of Title 17, United States Code. The objective of Title 1 of the DMCA, enacted on October 28, 1998, was to revise U.S. law to comply with two World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaties and to strengthen protection for copyrighted works in electronic formats. The DMCA establishes prohibitions on circumventing technological measures that control access to a work protected under the U.S. Copyright Act. Section 109 of the Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. 109, permits the owner of a particular copy or phonorecord lawfully made to sell or otherwise dispose of possession of that…

The most comprehensive accounting of federal R&D investment in each state was released by the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy last Friday. Discovery and Innovation: Federal Research and Development Activities in the Fifty States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico offers a wealth of information on federal research activity and investment in each state.  The 700-page on-line publication provides a level of detail for federal research and development in each state that was not easily accessible before. For example, the individual state profiles, ranging in length from six to 32 pages, provide the following information:  A summary snap shot of federal funding within the state, by agency, the state’s rank among states, and the percentage of federal spending within the state that is related to R&D.  Descriptions of each federal R&D unit within the state, including a discussion of the facilities’ activities, missions, total spending allocations, and number of employees.  A section identifying recipients of federal R&D…

Oklahomans need “to make fundamental changes in the way we see ourselves and the way we do things...to prevent us from slipping farther and farther behind, languishing on the sidelines of the New Economy,” according to a 14-member committee of public and private sector leaders.  Co-chaired by the State Treasurer and the Governor’s Chief of Staff, the committee was formed by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) to study publicly-funded seed and venture capital initiatives around the country and make recommendations for Oklahoma. The committee found that “unless Oklahomans address some core perception and infrastructure issues, the existence of adequate and growing investment capital is impossible.”  The committee identified five strategic directions to pursue:  Energize private, academic and government leaders to explain how and why Oklahoma can and should fit into the New Economy and articulate the strategy to get there  Educate, inform, and build a network that increases quality deal flow Maximize and…

The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) remains in the news this week as the National Research Council released a report calling the program "an unqualified success." The report is the sixth completed by NRC since the inception of PNGV in 1993. For more information or to order a copy of the report, visit: http://books.nap.edu/catalog/9873.html 

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is sponsoring a three-day conference on the critical importance of entrepreneurship in creating more and better jobs in rural America, September 17-19 in Batavia, Ohio (just 30 minutes from the Cincinnati airport).  With the governors of three Appalachian states, the ARC federal co-chairman, and national experts on entrepreneurship as participants, the conference will examine best practices in the field of rural entrepreneurship, the impact of ARC's Entrepreneurship Initiative in Appalachia, and application of these strategies to rural communities throughout the United States.  Since 1998, ARC has launched over 100 projects to support entrepreneurs in the 13-state Appalachian Region. The projects are supporting development of more homegrown businesses in four ways:  Improving access to private investment for local businesses through the development of new venture capital funds and micro-credit debt funds;  Educating current and future entrepreneurs through new training programs in middle schools, high schools, and…

The US Department of Agriculture and NASA have published lists of four and fourteen inventions, respectively, that are available for license. SSTI has reproduced the lists and contact information on the following web page: http://www.ssti.org/062300t.htm 

The 2000 session of the Connecticut legislature proved to be an active and favorable one for the state’s technology community and Connecticut Innovations, Inc. The Connecticut Technology Council summarized the session this way, “For the first time in recent memory, the debate at the Capitol was not over whether legislation affecting tech companies would pass, but which legislation affecting tech companies would pass.” A shift in legislature focus to broader strategic policies rather than bills that incrementally modify programs gets much of the credit, according to the Council. “The 2000 session was marked by an increased level of understanding of technology issues by the General Assembly and to their importance in the state’s cluster-based economic development strategy, ” according to the Council's summary of the session. Bills affecting science and technology approved by the legislature include: An Act Concerning Education Aid (Public Act 00-187)  Establishes within Connecticut Innovations a high technology research and development program for the purpose of…